Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1887-11-07
A Model Soldiers Home

Sunday afternoon | rang the bell
at the front door of the Vermont Sol
diers' home at Bennington. A vete-
ran opened the door, and, in reply to
my inquiry whether Capt. Coffey was
at home, he said he was and that he
would call him.
~ am glad to see YOU" said the
Captain presently, as he came into
the hall l have been expecting you
here before this. Won't you come in
to dinner?'
| said | would wait until he finish
ed dining, and in the meantime would
look about me.
"That's right" said the captain,
"we are always ready for inspection"
THE HOME
is the old Seth b. Hunt summer resi-
dence, about a third of mile from
the Bennington pOst-ofiice.
The first thing | looked for was
dirt and general untidiness, as ! al
ways do when visiting a public insti-
tuition. Knowing the reputation of
Captain Coffey and of his wife, who
is the MatrOn, | had no business to
look for dirt and untidiness, but did.
And / did not find a particle of Ell
ther. | forgot; l did. / saw some
"dirt'' (clean dirt in a score or
more fiower-pots and other recepta-
cles for plants, but nowhere else.
The hall is broad, and extends
across the house from front to rear.
On the walls hang large number of
the fine and famous etchings of army
scenes by the artist Forbes, and ]
saw
MANY MORE OF THEM
in the rooms. They are framed in
oak frames, all white and glistening.
They were given to the Home by Col.
Estev of Brattleboro. There are for
ty of them, / believe. The floor of
the hall is of hardwood, polished. A
broad strip of gray mating runs
through the middle.
The first room on the left is the of
flee and general reception room, with
the same sort of a floor, covered here
and there with bright rugs. On a
large centre-table are many plants in
jars-palms, ferns, vines, and things
of that sort, giving at first a conserv-
atory look to the room. A fine piece
of furniture is a large bookcase Of
some hard, light-colored wood, with
drawers underneath and brass trim
mings, given to the Home by Mrs.
G. ID. Gibson of Bennington. More
of the Forbes etching was on the
walls, with portraits of famous Amer
leans Lincoln, Grant, Sherman,
Sheridan, Joe Hooker and others. In
the front is the Captains office desk,
and in back corner is a small bed,
with a pure white covering.
Back of this is the Captains pri-
vate dining-room. On the right side
of the hall is the soldiers converse
ton and smoking room, neatly fur
nished, and with framed pictures on
the walls. Back of this is the sol
diers'
DINING-ROOM.
They had just finished dinner. Two
long tables covered with bright oil
cloth occupy the room. The dishes
are pure white, and of good quality.
The meats had been removed from
the tables, so l did not see what they
had, but | saw a lot of nice dressed
chickens in the refrigerator room so
it is likely they fare well. / observ-
ed further that there still remained
on the tables boiled peeled potatoes,
boiled squash, white firm bread, and
good October butter, and evidences
of other vegetables than those men
toned. Also milk and sugar. There
is no tin cup business about the place.
The dishes and the table cutlery were
good. There were no slops on the
tables. In short
EVERYTHING WAS CLEAN
and bright, the provisions all of eX-
cellent quality and evidently well
cooked. The dinner had been good
enough for Queen Victoria, and even
good enough for a Union veteran.
Rockers and other comfortable chairs
were in nearly all the rooms. Chan
deliers hang from the ceilings in the
front rooms.
The rising bell rings at 6 $50,
breakfast is at Z, dinner at ~, and
supper at 6; except on Sundays,
when they have luncheon at II, and
dinner at 3 80.
Adjoining the soldiers dining-room
is small dining-room for the four
people employed in the Home, name
ly, o. NJ. Howard, the farmer, and
his wife, Lewis BrOcklebank and his
wife; the former is cook Of the es-
tablishment and a good one too, and
her husband is a general helper.
These are the only people under pay
about the premises, except,of course, |
the Captain and Matron, and some I
times extra farm hands. The veter- I
ans help a good deal about the house,
though they are
n-g1r C.ur rTr-r. arC 80 .N-xr